In many transmission standards for mobile communication, such as the Global System for Mobile Communications, or GSM for short, and Enhanced Data rates over GSM Evolution, or EDGE for short, it should be possible to set the power of an analog output signal very accurately. Normally, the transmitted power is measured by a detector, is compared with a preset value, and is set precisely by means of a variable gain amplifier, or VGA for short. This is used in particular for standards such as GSM and EDGE, because of the time-slot structure for the transmissions and a ramp rise in the transmitted power. Since transmitting and receiving arrangements are increasingly being produced in digital form, complementary metal-oxide semiconductor integration technologies, or CMOS integration technologies for short, are being used, which allow variable gain amplifiers to be designed that are relatively simple.